801.eng

Project 801. [Gläntan]

During the fall of 2002 I was contacted by the Municipality of Nacka, who invited me to participate in the project entitled "School yard at the centre" [skolgården i centrum]. I got to meet some schools who had been selected to participate and have their schoolyard decorated by an artist at the expense of the Municipality of Nacka. The Gläntan kindergarten in Fisksätra liked what I had done in the Stockholm suburb of Liljeholmen, and it was decided that I should collaborate with Gläntan in order to create something for the children there. It was revealed that the Glänten children came from 28 different nations, and the whole world was more or less represented. The thing was obvious; we would create a
“FLAG OF THE GLADE” [GLANTÄNFLAGGAN].
A flag which did not consider race, religion, national borders or ethnical affiliation. A flag which would be made by children, for children. Part of the point of the project was that the children should integrate and get to feel like participants. So I decided to work with them on three occasions in an educational manner. All the drawings were mounted up and I photographed the flags. Then I began the work of scanning and “melting them together” all these flags to one Flag of the Glade or Gläntan flag. The children’s picture and mine were transferred to a glass fibre flag, which stiffened in its flapping, so to speak. The sculpture was mounted on eight cement dieses and now invited different playing functions such as a place for climbing, for hiding or just a place to tumble around on and hang out by.

Client: Nacka Kommun.

public 801

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JOHAN FERNER STRÖM